The Beast Within Him
by Symbiotic Toxin
Summary: We all must struggle with our inner beasts. But what happens when Karl Lykos can't fight his off any longer? A short little story of Lykos' life as he drifts through life fighting the urge to appease his appetite at the risk of Sauron returning.


"I don't need it…I don't need it…" Karl said to himself. Over and over again he repeated them while he sat on the train. It was completely empty of people except for himself, an old lady, a young couple that couldn't keep there hands off one another, and some goth-looking teenage girl. Karl was in his usual dirty, tattered clothing. His long, greasy blonde hair and his scraggly beard gave him the appearance of the homeless.

Then again, he might as well be homeless. The life of Karl Lykos, a successful psychiatrist, was over and done with. To the world and to himself he was now a monster. A ravenous beast that feed on others. Karl tried hard to fight the urge, the need, the desire to feed the beast. The minute it grew strong was the minute he would change, that he would slip away into the abyss of his mind while the monster had its way with the world.

"I don't need it…" Karl muttered once more.

_Lykos _a voice rang in his head. It was low at first, almost raspy even. But as it continued to talk the voice became louder.

_Set me free _it said_. Set me free or I will kill you here and now. _Karl shook his head, shutting his eyes as tight as he could. His head was filled with the raspy growl of the beast within. It wanted out.

"Nononono, I'm not letting you out. I will not allow you to kill again." He said.

_Then you'll die in there place, fool! You are weak, the world does not tolerate weakness! But I am strong, strong enough to help you survive! _Karl covered his ears and continued to shake his head.

"I'm not weak." He muttered_._

_You are! You cannot fight the urge forever, fool! You will slip and give into the desire for power. _Karl took his hands from his ears and clenched them into fists. He slammed them down into the setas beside him in anger.

"I am not weak!" He shouted. At that moment everyone on the train looked at him. He looked back at them. His eyes were sunken and teary. Suddenly he collapsed onto the floor, a burning sensation running through him. Karl caut himself with one hand while the other clenched his chest.

_I warned you. You cannot take this much longer. There is only one way to make it stop_. Karl began to breathe heavily as he shook his head again.

"No…please, god, no." Karl muttered under his breath He clenched his chest tighter as the burning sensation grew hotter and hotter. A shadow loomed over him, the smell of cigarettes wafting into his nostrils. Karl barely lifted his head to see how it was. The goth-looking girl was crouched down in front of him, a worried look on her pale face.

"Hey mister, you alright?" She asked. Able to lift his head a bit higher, Karl stared at her with his sunken eyes. Tears ran down his face.

_Only one way to make the pain go away. _Karl unclenched his chest. He stretched his hand out to the girls face, an inch away form touching it. He was sobbing at this point.

"I'm sorry…so sorry." Karl said. He rested his hand on her cheek, knowing what the consequences would be for this. At first he felt nothing but the burning in his body. But then the pain began to slowly fade as he stole from the innocent girl her energy.

The girl was surprised at first at being touched by him, but the surprise quickly switched to horror when she felt her body start to burn. She couldn't move away or take his hand off her cheek, she could only sit there as her body began to slowly burn on the inside.

As the pain left him, Karl started to let go of the girls cheek. However he soon learned his hand would not leave her cheek. He was still taking energy from her. Karls' eyes widened with horror when he realized what was going on.

"You…you're a mutant!" He yelled out. The other people on the train either watched or got up and tried to go to the other train cars. But Karl had other plans, or at least his mind did. Already he could feel his mind slipping away. His vision blurred and darkened.

His skin began to give way to dark green scales. His nails grew to become claws. His hair fell off his head in strands and clumps. The girl found the strength to try and struggle out of Karls' grip. But it was all in vain as his other hand clamped onto her other cheek.

Karl stood up. He was no longer in control of his changing body, however. He was fading away. He would go into a sleep that would last for what felt like days. But he would wake up to know the horros he had committed. As he fell back into the dark abyss of his mind he heard only one last thing. One last cry from the beast within.

_Yes! Sauron is reborn once more!_


End file.
